According to the Sometime Around Midnight Songfacts, this song describes a night out when Mikel Jollett ran into his ex-girlfriend. The rest of the band witnessed the event.
The song was used in the indie film The Scenesters (2009).
Sometime Around Midnight
The Airborne Toxic Event Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sometime around midnight
Or at least that's when
You lose yourself
For a minute or two
As you stand
Under the bar lights
About forgetting yourself for a while
And the piano's this melancholy sound check
To her smile
And that white dress she's wearing
You haven't seen her
For a while
But you know
That she's watching
She's laughing, she's turning
She's holding her tonic like a crux
The room suddenly spinning
She walks up and asks how you are
So you can smell her perfume
You can see her lying naked in your arms
And so there's a change
In your emotions
And all of these memories come rushing
Like feral waves to your mind
Of the curl of your bodies
Like two perfect circles entwined
And you feel hopeless, and homeless
And lost in the haze
Of the wine
And she leaves
With someone you don't know
But she makes sure you saw her
She looks right at you and bolts
As she walks out the door
Your blood boiling
Your stomach in ropes
And when your friends say what is it
You look like you've seen a ghost
And you walk
Under the streetlights
And you're too drunk to notice
That everyone is staring at you
And you so care what you look like
The world is falling
Around you
You just have to see her
You just have to see her
You just have to see her
You just have to see her
You just have to see her
And you know that she'll break you in two
The Airborne Toxic Event's song Sometime Around Midnight tells the story of a man who, after a night out, sees his ex-girlfriend and becomes overwhelmed with emotion. As the song begins, the man is lost in his thoughts until he spots his ex-girlfriend across the room, wearing a white dress. The band is playing a melancholic song that matches the man's emotional state, and the piano adds to the melancholic atmosphere of the evening. The man is hit with a flood of memories of their relationship, and he feels hopeless and lost.
His ex-girlfriend approaches him, and the man can smell her perfume and visualize her lying naked in his arms. However, his ex-girlfriend soon leaves with someone he does not know, and the man is left feeling angry and hurt. When his friends ask him what is wrong, he is too drunk and emotional to explain. The man walks under the streetlights, and he is too drunk to care that everyone is staring at him.
The song ends with the man desperately saying, "You just have to see her/And you know that she'll break you in two." This line is the culmination of the man's emotions, and it shows that he is willing to risk the inevitable heartbreak that will come with seeing his ex-girlfriend again.
Overall, the song captures the intense emotions that come with seeing an ex-lover unexpectedly. The lyrics are poignant, the melody is melancholic, and the story is relatable to anyone who has been through a similar experience.
Line by Line Meaning
And it starts
The beginning of the story or event
Sometime around midnight
The time of night when the story takes place
Or at least that's when
The uncertainty of the exact time
You lose yourself
Getting lost in thoughts or emotions
For a minute or two
A short period of time
As you stand
The current physical position of the subject
Under the bar lights
The lighting in the location of the event
And the band plays some song
The presence of music in the location of the event
About forgetting yourself for a while
The theme or topic of the song being played
And the piano's this melancholy sound check
The ambiance or tone of the music being played
To her smile
The effect the music has on the subject in relation to a specific woman
And that white dress she's wearing
A specific detail about the woman that the subject notices
You haven't seen her
The subject has not seen the woman in a while
For a while
A period of time in the past
But you know
The subject has knowledge of a certain fact
That she's watching
The woman is observing the subject
She's laughing, she's turning
The woman is enjoying herself and moving around
She's holding her tonic like a crux
The woman is holding her drink tightly and it seems important to her
The room suddenly spinning
The subject is feeling disoriented
She walks up and asks how you are
The woman initiates a conversation with the subject
So you can smell her perfume
The subject is close enough to smell the woman's fragrance
You can see her lying naked in your arms
The subject is imagining an intimate scenario with the woman
And so there's a change
A sudden shift in the situation or atmosphere
In your emotions
The subject's feelings change
And all of these memories come rushing
The subject is flooded with memories
Like feral waves to your mind
Comparing the overwhelming memories to wild and chaotic waves
Of the curl of your bodies
Recalling the physical intimacy with the woman
Like two perfect circles entwined
Describing the position of the bodies in a poetic way
And you feel hopeless, and homeless
The subject is overwhelmed and without direction
And lost in the haze
The subject is disoriented and confused
Of the wine
The effects of alcohol on the subject's state of mind
And she leaves
The woman departs from the location and the subject's presence
With someone you don't know
The woman is with a stranger
But she makes sure you saw her
The woman wants the subject to notice her leaving
She looks right at you and bolts
The woman makes eye contact and leaves quickly
As she walks out the door
The woman is leaving the location and the subject's presence
Your blood boiling
The subject is feeling intense anger or other emotions
Your stomach in ropes
The subject is feeling physical discomfort or tension
And when your friends say what is it
The subject's friends take notice of their behavior change
You look like you've seen a ghost
The subject's appearance is compared to that of someone who has experienced something traumatic
And you walk
The subject moves on from the location of the event
Under the streetlights
The lighting in the new location is described
And you're too drunk to notice
The subject is intoxicated and not aware of their surroundings
That everyone is staring at you
The subject is the center of attention in the new location
And you so care what you look like
The subject is self-conscious about their appearance
The world is falling
A dramatic portrayal of the subject's emotional state
Around you
The subject feels overwhelmed and disoriented
You just have to see her
The subject strongly desires to see the woman again
You just have to see her
Repeating the subject's intense desire to see the woman
You just have to see her
Continuing to emphasize the subject's desire to see the woman
You just have to see her
Stressed four times to heighten the importance of seeing the woman
And you know that she'll break you in two
Despite knowing the emotional pain the woman will cause, the subject still desires to see her again
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: MIKEL FRANS JOLLETT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@maryaquino4375
And it starts
Sometime around midnight
Or at least that's when
You lose yourself
For a minute or two
As you stand
Under the bar lights
And the band plays some song
About forgetting yourself for a while
And the piano's this melancholy sound check
To her smile
And that white dress she's wearing
You haven't seen her
For a while
But you know
That she's watching
She's laughing, she's turning
She's holding her tonic like a crux
The room suddenly spinning
She walks up and asks how you are
So you can smell her perfume
You can see her lying naked in your arms
And so there's a change
In your emotions
And all of these memories come rushing
Like feral waves to your mind
Of the curl of your bodies
Like two perfect circles entwined
And you feel hopeless, and homeless
And lost in the haze
Of the wine
And she leaves
With someone you don't know
But she makes sure you saw her
She looks right at you and bolts
As she walks out the door
Your blood boiling
Your stomach in ropes
And when your friends say what is it
You look like you've seen a ghost
And you walk
Under the streetlights
And you're too drunk to notice
That everyone is staring at you
And you so care what you look like
The world is falling
Around you
You just have to see her
You just have to see her
You just have to see her
You just have to see her
You just have to see her
And you know that she'll break you in two
@sebigrippen
Sometime Around Midnight"
And it starts
Sometime around midnight
Or at least that's when you lose yourself
For a minute or two
As you stand
Under the bar lights
And the band plays some song about forgetting yourself for a while
And the piano's this melancholy soundtrack to her smile
And that white dress she's wearing, you haven't seen her
For a while
But you know
That she's watching
She's laughing, she's turning
She's holding her tonic like a cross
The room suddenly spinning, she walks up and asks how you are
So you can smell her perfume
You can see her lying naked in your arms
And so there's a change
In your emotions
And all of these memories come rushing like feral waves to your mind
Of the curl of your bodies, like two perfect circles entwined
And you feel hopeless, and homeless, and lost in the haze of the wine
Then she leaves
With someone you don't know
But she makes sure you saw her, she looks right at you and bolts
As she walks out the door
Your blood boiling, your stomach in ropes
And then your friends say "What is it? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Then you walk
Under the streetlights
And you're too drunk to notice that everyone is staring at you
You just don't care what you look like
The world is falling around you
You just have to see her
You just have to see her
You just have to see her
You just have to see her
You just have to see her
You know that she'll break you in two
@olimursell5352
Man this is why I'm so grateful for YouTube comments. The amount of people that can feel this song somehow makes it more beautiful. Stay strong peeps.
@Micheala-dm4pu
Yes Absolutely
@alisewalker9039
Same band different song is WAKE UP ? FROM WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE no no that's arcade fire😅 my bad
@kimgordon3695
🙋💜
@MrAllegiant1
agreed
@jessnovak5754
this song has been giving me chills for 13 years.
@Doyledesignphilly
yeah it's that sick
@tomcat505
I feel you brother ✊🏼
@dennisdolby3276
saw them in concert at the height of this song. Epic performance in a small venue. Great musicians.
@greenwave819
You just have to see her